Harm Reduction in Substance Misuse

Course overview

The US is currently experiencing significant substance use and overdose epidemic. Harm reduction is a public health approach that is critical in keeping people who use drugs alive and as healthy as possible. Harm reduction refers to policies and practices that prioritize engaging directly with people who misuse substances to prevent overdoses and infectious disease transmission and to improve the physical, mental, and social well-being of those served. Such strategies emphasize justice and human rights and focus on positive interactions that occur without judgment, coercion, discrimination, or abstinence as a condition of treatment. This course will educate professionals on the basic principles of harm reduction and how it can be implemented for prevention, treatment, and recovery.